Rune, Alcaraz advance to second round in Rotterdam
Carlos Alcaraz avenges his loss to Van De Zandschulp last year at the US
Open with a hard-fought victory at the Rotterdam Open
- ROTTERDAM — Top
seed Carlos Alcaraz avenges his loss to Van De Zandschulp last year at the US
Open with a hard-fought victory at the Rotterdam Open on Wednesday (IST).
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- The Spaniard was put through his paces, but prevailed
7-6(3), 3-6, 6-1 against Dutch wildcard Zandschulp to advance to the second
round at the indoor hard-court ATP 500.
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- Alcaraz, who was stunned by the Dutchman in the second round
at the US Open last year, struggled to find his range throughout the testing
clash. Yet the 21-year-old regained his composure to motor through a dominant
final set and seal a two-hour, 33-minute victory, ATP reports.
-
- Despite boasting 16 tour-level titles, Alcaraz is yet to
reach a championship match indoors. He will next play against qualifier Andrea
Vavassori or two-time titlist in 2025, Felix Auger-Aliassime in the second
round.
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- There was also something physical hindering Alcaraz, who
arrived in Rotterdam with a cold and played with a piece of tape on his nose to
breathe more easily. "I don't feel 100 per cent yet. I'll need a few more
days for that. But the key was to stay mentally strong. And luckily that
worked. It was also a great match for the fans in that sense,” said the
Spaniard.
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- On the other hand, Holger Rune advanced to the Rotterdam
second round for the third consecutive year after defeating recent Australian
Open quarter-finalist Lorenzo Sonego 7-6(4), 6-4 in two hours, 11 minutes.
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- The fifth seed collected his 44th indoor win since the start
of the 2022 season, second only to Felix Auger-Aliassime's 53. The 2022 Paris
Masters champion next faces Spain's Pedro Martinez and will attempt to improve
his break point conversion rate, which was 2/13 against Sonego, according to
ATP Stats.
